World Health Day: How government can achieve health equity by CAPPA

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the government to mainstream water access, climate change programming, gender justice, food and tobacco control policies into health policies to achieve health equity.

It gave the advice during a webinar to mark the 2024 World Health Day, themed: ‘My Health, My Right’.

The pan-African not-for-profit reasoned that health is not a stand-alone issue and that every intervention and policy targeted at health should consider other cross-cutting issues and sectors.

CAPPA’s Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi explained that the organization’s programmes are connected to the well-being of humans adding that “all our campaigns on climate campaigns, tobacco control campaigns, water, food, and gender, are all linked to health.”

Oluwafemi added that “a win for one of those programmes and campaigns also means a win for health.”

Speaking about the intersectionality of climate change and health, Olamide Martins Ogunlade, the Climate Change Lead at CAPPA explained that climate change is causing massive disruption in food systems, increases in zoonoses and food, water- and vector-borne diseases, and continues to escalate mental health issues.

Ogunlade said “determinants to good health are equally being undermined by climate change with livelihoods, equality and access to health care and social support structures dwindling at alarming rates across the world with profound threats in Africa.

“Climate-induced health risks are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including women, children, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants or displaced persons, older populations, and those with underlying health conditions.”

He thereafter recommended that health care must be mainstreamed into climate change programming and vice versa and “Government must promote actions that both reduce carbon and methane emissions; The government must integrate climate risk and implement climate-informed surveillance and response systems and bridge the financing gap for health adaptation and resilience.”

Joy Amafah, Nigeria In-Country Coordinator, Cardiovascular Health Program for Global Health Advocacy Incubator, GHAI, who spoke on ‘food policies reinforcing Nigerians’ rights to healthy food’ explained that the food environment is being swamped with ultra-processed food which has limited the options of access to healthier food options.

Amafah lamented that “healthy foods are limited in terms of affordability and accessibility and changing behaviour from consuming healthy foods towards ultra-processed foods which are detrimental to our health.”

She said it is important that Nigeria set salt targets for industrial food products and upwardly review the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, to ensure that Nigerians consume healthier alternatives.

Sefa Ikpa, Programme Officer (Water) CAPPA, who said there cannot be good healthcare without access to clean water, explained that water-related illnesses are also worsening the health status of Nigerians, especially in low-income neighbourhoods.

Ikpa said “water scarcity and lack of access to clean water can have significant economic repercussions, particularly in communities that rely on water-dependent industries such as agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. Reduced productivity, increased healthcare costs due to water-related illnesses, and lost income from waterborne diseases can further exacerbate poverty and socioeconomic disparities.”

While demanding that the government should shun water privatization, Ikpa said there is a need to “embrace public-public partnerships as the most effective solution to water access challenges in Nigeria and across Africa.”

She also added that governments should “increase budgetary allocation to the water sector for the development and maintenance of water infrastructure to ensure universal access to clean and safe water sources; and address underlying socioeconomic factors that contribute to water insecurity, such as poverty, inequality, and marginalization.”

Zikorah Ibeh, Policy and Research Officer at CAPPA explained that evidence from across the world shows that there are stark disparities in health outcomes and access to care across different genders.

Ibeh said “for instance, women often face significant barriers in accessing reproductive health services, which can lead to higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. Men, on the other hand, might experience societal stigma that discourages seeking help for mental health issues, potentially leading to underdiagnosis and inadequate treatment.

“These disparities are exacerbated by socio-economic factors, including poverty, education, and cultural norms, which can significantly impact health outcomes.”

She thereafter noted that effective health policies for gender justice need to recognize the different health needs faced by different genders in society.